Safety bill holder



June '12, 1923. 1,458,734

J. L. SMITH SAFETY BILL HOLDER Filed Dec. 8, 1921 INVENTOR: JOHN L. SM/TH Patented June 12, 1223-.

UNITED; STATES- 1, 1,458,734 PATENT OFFICE- JOHN L. SMITH, or .LOS ANGELES, cAn FoRnIA.

SAFETY BILL HOLDER.

. Application filed December 8, 1921. Serial No. 521,019.

This invention relates to devices, such as purses, wallets, andpocket-books, for holding paper currency, notes, bills, and other similar valuable matter.

One of the objects of this. invention is to provide a device of this type with catching means to protect against loss or theft.

Another object is to provide a device which will hold bills securely and yet allow a proper removingwithout excessive or undue trouble. 7 j

Another object is to provide a device in which bills are .disposedflat between rollers.

Another object is to assure convenience and at the same time'security in connection with bills carried in pockets.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as Well as from the accompanying drawing, in which- I Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bill-holder embodying this invention.-:

Fig. 2 is a midsectionalview of the fasiening and catching end of the device in Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a frame for holding the rollers.

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the rollers and bottom spring illustrating the co-action of the bottom spring and some of the rollers.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the bottom spring in connection with the arrangement of three rollers, two of the rollers to be operatively connected to one of the cover plates, the other roller to be operatively connected to the opposite cover plate, illustrating the relative positions of bills in the device.

Fig. 6 is a cross section through a device in a slightly modified form, having one roller in operative connection with each of the cover plates.

Fig. 7 is a cross section through a device of a still more slightly modified form, having a flexible flap on one of the cover plates to be wound around or folded and closed over the inclosed bills.

As-illustrated in Fig. 1, the device can be opened so that bills can easily be placed in a fiat condition between the two sets offroll- 1 ers or between the rollers and the flat sp ng In the form illustrated in Fig, 1, the device is provided wit-h two outside or cover plates 8 and 9, hingedly-connected at 10. A spring 11 of coil form is inserted between the cover a 8 plates at the'hinge end, tocause the cover plate 9 to move to the opened position in which it is illustrated, in relation to the other cover plate 8, as soon as it is released from the locking cat-ch 12. A roller 13 is turn- H ably disposed between the lugs 14 on the cover plate 9. Two other rollers are turnably mountedwithin a frame-like structure, the rollers being indicated at 15. Thefrarne consists of the end member 16, the connecting members 17 and 18, and the end member 19. The end member 16' of the frame is preferably hingedly connected with the cover plate 8, as indicated at 20, so that the frame can also be moved in relation to the 7 cover plate 8 to a similar extent as the cover plate 9, the locking catch 21 holding the frame in closed or locked position in relation to ,the cover plate 8. The frame is illus-.

trated in detail in top plan view in Fig.3.

A flat spring 22 is. preferably inserted between the 1 cover plate 8 andthe rollers- 15,-

spring, and I 0llers being illustrated in side elevation in Fig. 4.: The. fiatspring 22 serves to form a suitable friction means for,

the rollers, so that bills inserted between the roller 13 and the rollers 15 are suitably retained in the device. Bills can also be inserted between the spring 22 and the rollers 15, since the rollers 15 with the frame are hingedly connected to the cover plateS. The

spring 22 holds in this case the bills against the rollers 15.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, bills, indicated in dotted lines at 23, will easily slide through the space between the rollers 15 on one, side and the roller 13 on the other side; and, if the rollers are arranged closely, the bills can be pulled out as long as the rollers turn. The bills, indicated in. dotted lines at 24, placed between the fiat spring 22 and the rollers 15, are only detained by the tension of the spring 22 and slide easily through the device. Y i

In the slightly modified form in Fig. 6, the roller 25 is turnably mounted on the inner face of the cover plate 9and the roller 26 is turnablymounted on the inner face of the cover late 8. An inserted bill slides normally along the dotted line27 through the device passing between the rollers .25 and 26.

The slightly modified form in Fig. 7 illustrates a general cross section through the rollers 13 and 15 and through the cover plates 8 and 9, a flap 28 being added to one s of the cover plates to be folded together with the inserted bills so as to cover the bills, keeping the whole in a closed condition.

A catching or safety means is provided in the one end of the device, illustrated in midsectional view in-Fig, 2. This safety device can, of course, be used in connection with many other articles, carried in'pockets or on the body of people, especially all such articles that are attached to chains or" cords or similar means. The main object of this device is to operate suitable catching means by a pulling of the chain, cord, or other similar means, so that the article to be protected by the device cannotbe pulled or removed from the body of the person using this device without attracting the attention of the person. A slight pulling on the attaching end 29 against the tension of the spring 30 brings the pointed or engaging ends 31 out of their concealed or inoperative positions, to catch in the clothing of the person or otherwise attract attention by resisting such a pulling from the outside. This device can be modified to quite an extent to suit the conditions orconstructions of difierent articles as long as the resisting qualities are present against an outside pulling. This catching or safety device, when applied to an article carried in a pocket, is not removed from the pocket by a pulling of the chain or similar means by which it is operated but by reaching into the pocket and "grasping the whole article to which the safety means is applied, to avoid a protruding or operating of the catching means.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

- 1. In device of the class described, cover plates having hinge connection at one end and having a lockat the opposite end, and rollers on the inner faces of the cover plates.

2. In a device of'the class described, cover plates hingedly connected at one end, rollers on the inner faces of the cover plates,a-fiat spring below one of the rollers adjacent one of the cover plates,'and locking means for holding the rollers in a parallel position. I

In a device of the class described, cover plates connected at one end for a swinging movement to one another, a roller frame having means I swingably connecting with one of the cover plates, rollers mounted in the roller frame and on the inner face of the opposite cover plate inparallel relation to one another when in closed position, and

locking means for holding the rollers in par- '1 allel position.

4. In a device of the class described, cover plates having hinge connection at one end and having a lock at the opposite end, rollers on the inner faces of'the cover plates, and

JOHN L. SMITH. v

lVitnessesz O. H. KRUEGER, V JESSIE A. lVIANOCK, 

